Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Host Bulldogs In Final Exhibition Tune-Up
11/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #13/13 Michigan State vs. Ferris State | |
| Date | Monday, November 9, 2015 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Internet | BTN Plus (Kevin Gehl, Kevin Pauga) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Game Notes | Michigan State |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Ferris State |
| Live Stats | |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  | Instagram |
The Opening Tip
Michigan State closes its exhibition season against Ferris State, the 2015 GLIAC Tournament Champions. This is the final of two exhibitions the Spartans will play. Senior Denzel Valentine returns as MSU's top scorer, rebounder, and assist leader from 2014-15.
The Starting Five
1. Exhibition Win vs. Northern Michigan, 94-53
Michigan State defeated Northern Michigan, 94-53, in the season's first exhibition. Denzel Valentine recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while Bryn Forbes led five Spartans in double-figures with 23 points. The Spartans led by just five points at the half, 38-33, but opened the second half on a 31-7 spurt over the first 10:40. MSU shot 57.6 percent in the second half, while holding NMU to 21.9 percent. The Spartans out-rebounded the Wildcats 55-32, including 29-12 in the second half.
2. Returning Depth
Michigan State returns nine of its top 11 scorers from its 2014-15 squad. The Spartans return 63.3 percent of their scoring, 66.9 percent of their rebounding, and 60.4 percent of their assists from last season. Eight different returners started at least one game in 2014-15, including four players who started 17 or more contests.
3. Seeking Win No. 500
Tom Izzo enters his 21st season as Michigan State head coach in 2015-16. With a career record of 495-199, Izzo will likely capture his 500th career win early in the non-conference schedule. He is 17 wins shy of tying Gene Keady (512 wins) for second most victories at a Big Ten school, trailing only Bob Knight (661 wins).
4. No. 13 to Start the Season
Michigan State opens the season ranked No. 13 in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls. Five other Big Ten schools are ranked including Maryland (No. 3 AP Poll/No. 3 USA Today), Indiana (No. 15/15), Wisconsin (No. 17/17), Purdue (No. 23/t-24) and Michigan (No. 25/). The Big Ten leads the nation with six teams ranked in the AP Poll and is tied with the Big 12 with five ranked teams in the USA Today Coaches Poll. In addition to the conference opponents, MSU is also scheduled to play Kansas (No. 4/5) in the Champions Classic and could possibly meet Arizona (No. 12/10) in the Wooden Legacy.
5. Strength of Schedule
Including potential opponents in the Wooden Legacy, 11 of MSU's 17 non-conference opponents competed in the 2015 postseason, including seven in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Eight of MSU's 13 non-conference contests could feature 2015 postseason participants. Including Big Ten opponents, 18 of MSU's 31 regular-season games will be played against teams that completed in postseason play in 2015.
MSU vs. Ferris State Notes
Series History
This is the second time Michigan State and Ferris State have met in exhibition play. The Spartans defeated the Bulldogs, 85-58, on Oct. 30, 2011, in East Lansing. Freshman Branden Dawson led MSU with 15 points and nine rebounds in his Spartan debut. Derrick Nix also scored 15 points, while Draymond Green added 11 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
Coach Bronkema
Andy Bronkema became FSU's 13th men's basketball head coach on June 28, 2013. He was a two-time collegiate All-America student-athlete at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids and spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Ferris State.
Bronkema had served as the program's interim head coach after the resignation of former head coach and colleague Bill Sall, who accepted the head coaching position at fellow Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) counterpart Northern Michigan.
In just his second season at the helm in 2014-15, the Bulldogs won the GLIAC Tournament Championship and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament. FSU finished with a 23-9 overall record on its way to a Top-20 national ranking and a 15-game regular-season win streak.
The Last Meeting
Michigan State opened its 2011-12 exhibition season with a convincing 85-58 victory over Ferris State in East Lansing on Oct. 30, 2011. Branden Dawson and Derrick Nix led all scorers with 15 points. In addition to his game-high in points, Dawson pulled down nine rebounds to lead all players. The Spartans jumped out to a 42-29 lead at the half and held the Bulldogs to just 29 points in the second half as well. MSU outscored FSU 48-22 in the paint, while scoring 29 points in transition off 21 Bulldog turnovers.
Bulldogs Notes
Ferris State returns six key letterwinners from a year ago, including four seniors, as the Bulldogs return to the floor with high expectations following a championship campaign. Key returnees this season include the senior quartet of point guard Jibreel Jackson, wings Josh Fleming and James Chappell, along with veteran post player Jared Stolicker. Two talented sophomores are also back that saw significant time in their initial seasons a year ago in guard Drew Cushingberry and wing Noah King. While the Bulldogs will have to replace one of the top players in school history in departed guard Drew Lehman, who was an All-America selection, FSU expects junior college additions Quentin Ruff, Peter Firlik and Mamadou Ba to be potential impact players this year. In addition, two redshirt freshmen, Zach Hankins and Andrew Meacham, should add depth after strong redshirt seasons. A group of other talented true freshmen could see some time.
Ferris State was picked to finish second in the 2015-16 GLIAC North Division Preseason Men's Basketball Poll. The Bulldogs were picked 23rd nationally in the 2015-16 Hero Sports Division II Preseason Listing.
MSU Basketball Notes
Valentine: Unanimous Selection
Denzel Valentine was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten's 10-member preseason all-conference team. He was also tabbed preseason Third Team All-America by CBSSports.com and Second Team All-America by Sports Illustrated. Valentine leads all returning Spartans in scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and assists (4.3 apg).
Valentine Wins Bronze with USA
Denzel Valentine was a member of the USA Basketball Pan American Games Team that captured a Bronze Medal in Canada July 21-25. He ranked sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.4 points, while shooting .500 from the field and .385 from 3-point range. In medal play, he averaged 11 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games.
Spartans Summer Trip: Italy
In late August, Michigan State traveled to Italy for the first summer foreign trip of the Tom Izzo era. After a decisive 98-54 victory over a club team in Florence, the Spartans took part in a four-team round-robin event featuring national teams from Russia, Italy, and Georgia. Although the Spartans dropped all three games, the games got progressively closer as MSU trailed Italy by just five points midway through the fourth quarter, and falling to Georgia by a single point. Denzel Valentine averaged a team-best 17.3 points against the three national teams, while Gavin Schilling was the team's leading rebounder (7.0 rpg) and second-leading scorer (13.3 ppg). Bryn Forbes also averaged double figures at 13.0 ppg.
Nation's Best Seven Final Fours in 17 Years
Michigan State advanced to the 2015 Final Four, marking the seventh trip to the Final Four in 20 seasons under Tom Izzo. The seven trips in the last 17 seasons rank as the most in the nation.
From Beyond the Arc
Michigan State figures to have one of its best 3-point shooting teams in school history. The Spartans made 294 3-pointers last year, which ranked second in school history, behind only the 2013-14 squad (307 3-pointers). While the Spartans will miss Travis Trice and his 90 3-pointers, they add junior transfer Eron Harris (89 3-pointers in 2013-14), and freshman Matt McQuaid who was rated as one of the best shooters in his class.
Making History
A few current Spartans could etch their names among the all-time greats in MSU history with solid senior campaigns. Matt Costello enters the season ranked sixth in career blocks (104), needing 39 to become MSU's all-time leader. For comparison, Costello blocked 43 shots as a sophomore and 48 as a junior. Denzel Valentine has played in 113 career games, needing to play in 33 more to hold sole position of the top spot in Spartan history. Valentine also needs 55 assists and 192 rebounds to become the only Spartan to rank in the school's career Top 10 in both categories.
Early Test in Champions Classic
Michigan State's first game versus a ranked opponent this season comes on Nov. 17 in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago against No. 5 Kansas. The Jayhawks enter the year as MSU's highest-ranked non-conference foe.
2015 Wooden Legacy
Michigan State will open the 2015 Wooden Legacy against Boston College on Thursday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in Fullerton, California. The winner of the MSU-BC contest will face the UC Irvine-Boise State winner in a semifinal contest on Friday, Nov. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2). The other half of the bracket features first-day matchups between Evansville and Providence, followed by Santa Clara and Arizona. After an off day, the tournament will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 29. Games on Nov. 26 and 27 will be held at Cal State Fullerton, while the final day of games will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Breslin Upgrades on the Horizon
A major facilities upgrade â€" focused on improving the visitor experience â€" and the construction of a Michigan State University Basketball Hall of History are on tap for the Breslin Student Events Center. The MSU Board of Trustees gave the university the go-ahead to proceed with the $50 million project. $30 million will be provided by the university and $20 million from MSU Athletics. The work is scheduled to begin in January 2016, with substantial completion expected by August of 2017 and final completion by June 2018.
